The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1887-04-27

WEDNESDAY
WORK FOR THE KAIMILoA.

The KalmIIOa has been put IN COM
mission as national ship, and should
be turned to practical account at the
earliest possible moment. The cost to
the country in the purchase and equip
ment of this vessel has been very con-
siderable, but if she be made available
for the rescue and preservation OF life
and property nobody will complain very
much about the expense. An opportun-
ity has now arisen for the employment
of the Government steam vessel upon such
a service, and it is to be hoped that in
the cause of humanity it will not be
neglected.
On September 1st the Hawaiian
schooner General Seigel sailed from
Honolulu for French Frigate Shoal on a
Shaking expedition. The crew con-
sisted of Captain F. Sanders, German,
and seven seamen, comprising Swedes,
Germans and one Austrian. The
charter was for six months nominal, but
it was not supposed by any one that
anything like that time would be occu-
pied in the voyage. She is now eight
months, lacking five days, from port,
and very serious doubts exist in the
minds of nautical men as to the safety of
the crew. Indeed, the neglect to send a
search expedition long ago has led to
strong and not very favorable comments
in the community.
The Kaimiloa is ready for sea, and
should be dispatched without delay to
search for these probable castaways
When boats crew of the Dunnottar
Castle reached Honolulu on September
Is, 1886, Major Wodehouse, II. B. MS
Commissioner, chartered the steamer
Waialeale and dispatched her the follow
ing day for the remainder of
the men. The Hawaiian Govern
ment participated in this expedi
ton and offered to defray the entire cost
of it, which of course the British Com
missioner could not consent to. Here is
a case, however, in which Hawaiian
vessel is supposed to have foundered and
her crew to be subsisting wretchedly
upon some desolate reef If action in
justifable. as it undoubtedly was, much
more is it called for in the case of the
General Siegel. There is another prece-
dent in the case of the Hawaiian
schooner Ka Moi, the steamer G. R.
Bishop being sent to search for her.
1t is generally understood that the
Kaimiloa is to proceed to Samoa to con-
vey the Hawaiian Embassy to Tonga and
thence to the residue Of Polynesia which
preserves its nominal independence That
is proper enough service in it's way. If
this Kingdom is to have roaming En-
bassy it should provide transportation
and subsistence FOR it; but the claims of
humanity are stronger than the exigen-
eies of Embassadorial state. Let the
Embassy wait for the return of the Kai-
miloa from French Frigate Shoal, or
charter a handy schooner to take it to
Tonga.
We say this advisedly, because
our suggestion is precisely what
His Excellency Mr.. Gibson said
would be the use to which
Government steamship would be put,
when he moved an appropriation of
100000 for the purchase and $50, 900 for
the running expenses of one. He is now
the responsible head of the War and
Navy Department, and having the direc-
ton of the KaimilOa, has an opportunity
to make good his assurance to the Legis-
lature on October 1, 1886. That assur-
ance is expressed in the following ex-
tract from his speech in moving the APP
preparation, as reported in the ADvER-
TIsER, October I'd:
His Excellency Mr.. Gibson said he felt
that a Government steam vessel was a
piece OF Government property which it
was proper to have. 1t was useful and APP
propriate and would pay for itself. 1t was
not an appendage, but for the business of
the country. There was consider
able smuggling going on, and if they had
proper vessel they could put stop to it,
He believed that a vessel of this kind
properly constructed and managed would
save its cost during the fiscal period He
could call to mind many emergencies in
which it could be used-accidents at sea-
going after wrecked vessels, and other
sci. With regard to their Polynesian con-
nectiOn, If Commissioner was sent to
Samoa they should send him in their own
vessel
These arguments prevailed, and the
money was voted. The Hawaiian EN-